Foreign Holdings of US Treasury Debt Drop for Third Straight Month

Foreign holdings of U.S. Treasury securities fell for a third consecutive month in June, with both China and Japan cutting back.

The Treasury Department said Thursday that total foreign holdings declined to $5.6 trillion in June, a drop of 1 percent from May. Total foreign holdings fell 0.9 percent in May and 0.3 percent in April after hitting an all-time high of $5.7 trillion in March.

China, the largest foreign buyer of Treasury debt, trimmed its holdings by 1.7 percent in June to $1.28 trillion. Japan, the second largest foreign purchaser, cut its holdings by 1.8 percent to $1.08 trillion.

Treasury debt held by foreigners is up 5.4 percent from a year ago. That suggests global demand remains high despite the prolonged battles in Washington over budget deficits.